Raquel emerged from the steamy bathroom, pink satin clinging to her curves after the soothing shower. Sleep still clung to her mind like fog, yet her thoughts turned to Gavin dozing alone on the couch. An unease stirred within at the tired lines etched on his face, a reminder of worries that pulled at them both.
Hesitation gripped her only for a moment. With soft steps muffled by carpet, she closed the distance to kneel by his side. A gentle touch to rouse him, hoping her presence could chase the shadows from his mind, if only for a while. Gavin stirred, eyes fluttering open to find solace in her smile.
Raquel's throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. "After everything that happened today, I thought...it might be better for your health if you took some time to properly shower and rest."
Gavin got up and walked to the bathroom. As he did, someone knocked several times on the bedroom door, prompting Raquel to hurry over and see who wanted in. Meanwhile, the persistent knocking continued at the door, raising Raquel's intrigue over the identity of the visitor.
When she opened it, it was a frazzled, red-faced Gwyneth, Gavin's tall older sister, breathing heavily as if she had urgent news.
"Hey, um, are y-you feeling any b-better?" Gwyneth stuttered nervously, playing with her hands.
Raquel nodded gently. "I'm feeling much better, thanks. Still a bit tired but well on the mend."
Gwyneth visibly relaxed. "Great to hear. M-Mom said d-dinner's almost ready. S-She'd love it if we were all there."
"We'll be there soon," Raquel said warmly, smiling softly to calm Gwyneth's frayed nerves. She gave Gwyneth's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I'll just let Gavin know it's time to eat."
Gwyneth, at 35, was only a year older than Raquel's aunty Emma, creating an undercurrent of awkward familiarity between them.
Gwyneth shot Raquel a playful smirk and nudged her arm. "Newlyweds, take some time to recharge before getting all lovey-dovey."
Raquel blushed lightly and swatted Gwyneth's arm in return. "Gwyn—"
Gwyneth chuckled and shook her head. "Alright, quickly change your clothes and let's have dinner together. Everyone is waiting with growling stomachs."
Raquel nodded, and Gwyneth flitted away like a butterfly to Damian's room, next door to Gavin's.
Before Raquel could relax from Gwyneth's teasing, Gavin's voice pierced the silence like a sharp arrow. "Who was that?"
Raquel shut the door with a shuddering click, steeling herself before spinning to face Gavin. But no preparation could ready her for the sight of him suddenly invading her space, his musky aftershave washing over her in a heady wave. She found herself drowning in his shapirre eyes, lungs starved of oxygen.
"Do you have ears?" he asked.
Raquel shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her eyes darting around the room like a trapped bird.
"Um, Gwyneth invited us to dinner," she whispered, her voice barely above a croak.
Gavin's eyes were two daggers, piercing Raquel to the core. His lips curled into a sneer, like a snake about to strike. "I don't like it when someone talks to me but looks at the floor. Do you think my face is on the floor?"
Raquel cringed under his gaze, her eyes darting to the floor. Raquel didn't want to meet his eyes, but she knew it only made him angrier.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he roared.
Raquel slowly raised her head, her eyes meeting his. His eyes were burning with rage, and Raquel felt a chill run down her spine.
"Um, I'm sorry—"
Gavin's hand clamped around Raquel's upper arm, pulling her roughly to the side. He marched downstairs ahead of her, his footsteps pounding on the stairs.
Raquel stumbled after him, her heart hammering in her chest. She had never felt so scared in her life.
Her stomach clenched into a tight knot, as if it were being twisted by an invisible hand.
She had never been treated so roughly before, not even by Jonas, her crush.
***
Pablo sipped his coffee, his eyes darting across the table to where Raquel and Gavin were seated.
"I wonder what you guys were actually doing in the room that we had to wait so long to have dinner together," he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
Raquel scratched absentmindedly at her neck.
Cutting into her chicken, Gwyneth glanced up briefly at Raquel before staring back down.
"I think...maybe they were, um, busy for too long," she said quietly.
Around the table, forks paused mid-air as eyes darted between Gwyneth and Raquel. Pablo cleared his throat loudly while Jacquelin failed to suppress a grin.
"Raquel's hair was still damp when she arrived," Gwyneth continued, cheeks reddening, "And she had a flushed look about her. You don't suppose they got carried away in their conjugal duties?"
"Ugh...you really shouldn't have said that," Jacquelin chuckled nervously. "Look how red Raquel's gone! Come now, Raquel, don't be shy. Take a seat here with us and let's get to eating, shall we?"
Raquel smiled gratefully at Jacquelin, thankful for the out.
She nodded in understanding and sat next to Gavin.
"Here, sweetie, try this," Jacquelin said warmly, scooping a bountiful helping onto Raquel's plate. "I made it just for you."
"Thank you," Raquel replied with a small smile, hoping to appease after the earlier tension.
"Gavin, please fill your plate heartily," Jacqueline smiled warmly. Her eyes shone with affection as she surveyed the bountiful meal prepared with love for their special evening. "I want you both to enjoy every delicious bite without a worry. This is a celebration of the love we share, so eat to your heart's content."
After finishing the meal and returning to the room, Gavin folded his hands in front of his chest and silently watched Raquel. She felt his gaze on her, like a heavy blanket weighing her down.
"Is there something wrong?" she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Do you see the room across Damian's room? That's your room. And this is mine."
"Yes," Raquel said hesitantly, "but aren't Mom and Dad still here now? They must be—"
"Tomorrow you can move," Gavin interrupted, quickly folding the newspaper in his hands. "But for today, sleep here. I'm sure Mom and Dad will come back in the morning." A wary look passed across his face as he scanned the empty room, as if hoping their parents might suddenly reappear.
"But where will you sleep tonight?" Raquel asked hesitantly.
Gavin turned slowly from the newspaper, meeting her eyes with an inscrutable look. Raquel stopped in her tracks, caught off guard by his intense stare. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them as she searched desperately for something, anything, to break the heavy air.
Gavin stepped closer, his eyes piercing into hers. Gavin's words were a dagger to Raquel's heart. She felt like she was suffocating, her lungs collapsing like a deflated balloon.
"I don't want to sleep with strangers."
Stranger? Those two words managed to make Raquel want to cry. They were a slap in the face, a reminder that she was nothing more than a stranger to Gavin.
***
Over their first three weeks of marriage, Raquel tried in vain to breach the walls around Gavin's heart. While under Pablo's roof, he remained aloof, their encounters polite but passionless.
Now, as Gavin's private estate came into view, unease twisted in Raquel's stomach. Was she simply a prized acquisition in Gavin's eyes, a shiny new toy to entertain himself with for a time? Did he comprehend what it meant to be bound as one flesh, to cherish and protect a wife?
His indifference over their first weeks as man and wife told another story. She recalled his tight grip whenever they were seen in public, the possessive way his eyes tracked her movements. It was more akin to owning a pet than accepting a life partner.
Steeling her resolve, Raquel vowed that within these stifling walls, she would no longer endure such treatment in silent acquiescence. She would know, once and for all, if any heart resided beneath that immaculate facade - or if she had merely become another plaything for the whims of the mighty Gavin dan her dad-in-law, Pablo Pavlovna.
"Ugh, I'm beat man," Gavin sighed, running a hand down his tired face. "Think I'm gonna crash for the night. You handle your own bag, yeah?"
Without waiting for a response, he trudged off towards his room. His usually energetic steps now dragged with fatigue. Closing the door behind him, he collapsed onto the bed with another exhausted groan.
Meanwhile, Raquel grunted softly as she lugged her heavy suitcase over to the room next to Damian's. She paused in the doorway, catching her breath. Her slim frame was clearly straining under the weight.
Raquel's footsteps echoed in the cavernous room, reminding her of her loneliness. The three-story house was a grand affair, with nine luxuriously decorated rooms, but it felt as empty and cold as a tomb.
Raquel entered the room with weary steps. She missed her own room while living with Emma. As Raquel was about to unpack her belongings that she had brought from Emma's house, someone knocked on the door before entering.
"Good afternoon, Madam. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mariana, the personal assistant who will assist you as instructed by Mr. Gavin. Starting today, I will take care of scheduling all your tasks and appointments," the middle-aged woman murmured politely.
"Personal assistant?" Raquel, who found herself engulfed in confusion, came to the realization that Gavin had indeed constrained her. The actions undertaken by Gavin were a clear violation of his commitment, constituting a breach of promise.
"Is there any way I can be of help, ma'am?" Marriana asked politely, her calm green eyes studying Raquel intently.
Raquel frowned, remembering how Gavin had insisted she needed support after their argument. But accepting help from him, even indirectly, was the last thing she wanted right now.
"I appreciate the offer, but the circumstances that led to this... arrangement leave a bad taste. Gavin has tried to exert control before, and I fear this is just another tactic," Raquel began to explain.
Just then, her phone vibrated noisily against the table, as if on cue to interrupt her refusal.
***
As dusk descended, Raquel's sharp rap on the mahogany door echoed through the corridor, startling Gavin out of his thoughts. He emerged from his room, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"What the hell?" he growled.
Raquel stood tall, her arms folded defiantly across her chest. Her sharp gaze met his, her eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.
"What?" she spat back.
Gavin sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in frustration. Her rapid-fire speech was like a barrage of bullets, leaving him reeling.
"Why did you ask Marriana to be my personal assistant?" Raquel demanded, her voice laced with venom. "Are you trying to spy on me again, just like you did when I went on a date with Jonas?"
Gavin's eyes flashed with disdain.
"Answer my question," she hissed.
Raquel's blood boiled as Gavin mocked her, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes gleamed with malice, like a predator taunting its prey.
"Have you ever seen a goat pretending to be a wolf?" he sneered, his voice sharp as a knife.
Raquel's fists clenched. She wanted to punch him square in the jaw, but she restrained herself. She knew that he was trying to provoke her, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
"You are the most annoying wolf!" she spat back, her voice trembling with anger. "If I were a hunter, I would tear your body apart."
Gavin's eyes flashed with amusement. "Stop nagging and make me dinner."
Raquel's fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She had ignored Gavin for the umpteenth time, but his behavior was starting to grate on her nerves. She didn't know what his intentions were, but she was starting to suspect that he was trying to get under her skin.